All There Is Now Are Memories

Hello Fellow Graduates,

One thing I know we all have in common is that since at least freshman year we have been beyond excited to be here, exactly at this moment, graduating high school and starting a new chapter in life. We were excited about the memories that would be made such as the themed basketball games where we would dress up in neon colors, or have a beach themed games, or white outs (no other sport got nearly as festive and feral as the student section to basketball games our junior year), we went all out during spirit weeks dressing all out in each themed day taking loss after loss until we eventually won our last ever spirit week. The memories of cheering on every sport during homecoming week then getting ready before school dances and hanging out after,. And all the memories of being so stressed you want to cry because the math was not adding up or the English was not proper enough, and the grossed out feeling of doing dissections in Biology (skinning those rats was disgusting). All of these memories looked different for each and every person and even this memory of graduating, even though we are all here, living the same experience and getting the same celebration,  it still looks and feels like a different experience to us all. There are kids going into the medical field, majoring in finance or business , taking the route to become an educator, while other  kids are going straight to work doing plumbing or carpentry work. The opportunities truly do seem endless and the roads are definitely not scarce with options. 

One thing I will carry with me throughout life is not the formula of y=mx+b or how to cite quotations from a novel. I will not remember the elements of the periodic table and I definitely will never remember every Amendment. Those things do not get practiced every day with the future I have for myself, but it might for some of you, but what I will remember is how to properly manage my time, how to prioritize things so I do what I want but also what needs to get done, life skills that are not taught in school but are developed because of school.

At the end of the day, I would say that I am your average student, but preparing to wrap up a whole chapter in my life has put so much stress on me that at times I genuinely questioned if I would get to be here. I know many classmates agree as we have discussed the stress levels of this part. Preparing for this moment took 13 grade levels and a lot of failed attempts and revisions, but what came after those? The final product and the passing grades. 

Every single one of us dealt with the stress of graduation but we all dealt with it in different ways regardless we’re all here. Senior year is all about excitement, the feeling of knowing it’s the beginning of this final chapter together. Everyone is excited to be here and be doing everything for the last time, the last first day of school, the last homecoming and winter carnival, the last prom, the last time we turn in assignments. For a lot of people it didn’t feel real until about December, the last winter break of high school and after that we come back to school and suddenly it’s the year we graduate. The time seems to go by so fast it is almost like you are not even moving, but everything around you is.(Simile) Next thing you know it is your senior prom, the day of grad pics, last day of classes, and finally marching practice. This year has been by far the most stressful because there is no next year, we all get one chance at this year and then this chapter of our lives ends. Next up is the grown up stuff, preparing for a career.  It has to be the most bittersweet experience I have ever dealt with.I was beyond excited to finish off my sports and have a senior game, finally getting recognized as a senior was a fun and fresh moment. Personally, I was always terrified of graduating and moving into a new part of my life. I was terrified of growing up basically, but as I started living it I started figuring it out day by day with the help of teachers who continuously supported me and  many important people in my life. To wrap it up this moment will give me goosebumps for years to come, the work is done and all we have to do is celebrate us, me, you, and all of our accomplishments .We even get snazzy gowns and stiff caps so it’s definitely the real deal. This is truly the last thing we will all do together. There are no more assemblies or events to do together. After tonight we all go our separate ways. Everything is officially our choice, who our friends are, who we interact with, and how often we put ourselves out there. All of the celebrations of the highs and the let downs of the lows were worth it because we got to grow as individuals and learn together so Congratulations class of 2023.

“graduation” by Sean MacEntee is licensed under CC BY 2.0.